Circulation Journal Report

Dallas, TX – Less than half of patients received their insurer’s approval for prescriptions of PCSK9 inhibitors, according to new research in the American Heart Association’s journal Circulation.

PCSK9 inhibitors, like Repatha (evolocumab) and Praluent (alirocumab), work by increasing the removal of low-density lipoprotein (LDL) or “bad” cholesterol from the blood. They have been shown to reduce LDL by 60 percent and decrease major cardiac events but cost much more than other cholesterol-lowering drugs with an average cost of $14,300 per year. Prescriptions require prior authorization by health insurance companies.

Prepping the patient to draw blood for a cholesterol test. (American Heart Association)

Dallas, TX – Stroke patients who stopped taking statin drugs three to six months after a first ischemic stroke, the type caused by narrowed arteries, had a higher risk of a having another stroke within a year, according to new research in Journal of the American Heart Association, the Open Access Journal of the American Heart Association/American Stroke Association.

Researchers also found that discontinuing statin drugs, which lower cholesterol, between three and six months after a first ischemic stroke was linked to higher risk of death and hospitalization among the patients in the study.

Stopping statin drug therapy between three and six months after a first ischemic stroke is associated with a higher risk of another stroke within a year. (American Heart Association)

Arteriosclerosis, Thrombosis, and Vascular Biology Journal Report

Dallas, TX – Traffic-related air pollution may increase cardiovascular disease risk by lowering levels of high-density lipoprotein (HDL), commonly known as “good” cholesterol, according to new research in the American Heart Association’s journal Arteriosclerosis, Thrombosis, and Vascular Biology.

Scientists have long known that air pollution increases the risk of developing cardiovascular diseases including atherosclerosis and heart failure, but are uncertain how the two are connected.

(At left), Air quality equipment monitors traffic-related air pollution on a New York City highway. (The MESA Air Study)

American Heart Association Rapid Access Journal Report

Dallas, TX – Greater fluctuations in “bad” cholesterol levels may be linked to worse cognitive function in elderly adults, according to new research in the American Heart Association’s journal Circulation.

In a study of European adults age 70 to 82 years old, researchers found that greater fluctuations in low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL), or “bad” cholesterol, are associated with lower cognitive performance.

The negative effect from fluctuations was found regardless of average bad cholesterol levels or use of cholesterol-lowering drugs. (American Heart Association)

American Heart Association Rapid Access Journal Report

Dallas, TX – If you had heart disease risk factors, such as high blood pressure, before your first stroke, your risk of suffering subsequent strokes and dementia up to five years later may be higher, according to new research in the American Heart Association’s journal Stroke.

American Heart Association Rapid Access Journal Report

Dallas, TX – Patients who experience high cholesterol due to an inherited genetic disorder from one of their parents—heterozygous familial hypercholesterolemia— are much more likely than those with average cholesterol levels to have diseases caused by hardening of the arteries, including an accelerated onset of coronary heart disease by up to 30 years, according to new research in the American Heart Association journal Circulation.

The inherited form of high cholesterol—familial hypercholesterolemia—is a genetic disorder that is passed down through families.

Prepping the patient to draw blood for a cholesterol test. (American Heart Association)

“We already knew that weight loss surgery improves weight and cholesterol numbers. This new research shows that there are actually changes in the way HDL functions in adolescents, which may lead to a reduction in long-term cardiovascular risk,” said pediatric endocrinologist Amy S. Shah, M.D., lead author of the study and assistant professor of pediatrics at the Cincinnati Children’s Hospital in Ohio.

American Heart Association Rapid Access Journal Report

Dallas, TX – Genetically inherited high levels of cholesterol are twice as common in the United States as previously believed, affecting 1 in 250 adults, according to new research in the American Heart Association’s journal Circulation.

The condition, familial hypercholesterolemia (FH), leads to severely elevated cholesterol levels from birth and is a leading cause of early heart attack.

Prepping the patient to draw blood for a cholesterol test. (American Heart Association)

Dallas, TX – If your “bad” cholesterol level stays the same or increases after you take statin drugs, you may have more blocked arteries than people whose levels drop, according to research in the American Heart Association journal Arteriosclerosis, Thrombosis and Vascular Biology.

Low density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol is considered the “bad” cholesterol because it contributes to plaque buildup, thick, hard deposit that can clog arteries and make them less flexible. [Read more]

Nashville, TN – A heart-healthy diet helped men at high risk for heart disease reduce their bad cholesterol, regardless of whether they lost weight, in a study presented at the American Heart Association’s Arteriosclerosis, Thrombosis and Vascular Biology 2013 Scientific Sessions.

The 19 24- to 62-year-old men in the study had metabolic syndrome, which refers to three or more significant risk factors for heart disease and stroke. The risk factors included in this study were high waist circumference, high blood pressure, high levels of triglycerides and fasting glucose and low levels of high density lipoprotein or HDL “good” cholesterol. [Read more]